Synopses & Reviews
The genome projects have now entered a rapid production phase with complete genome sequences and complete gene catalogues already available for a number of organisms and an increasing number expected shortly. In addition the new DNA and protein chip technologies can produce functional data about genes such as gene expression profiles at a rapid rate. There is therefore a large and ever increasing amount of data about genes and molecules. However there is still a huge gap between information at the molecular level and information at the level of integrated biological systems. It is this gap that is addressed in Post-genome Informatics. Post-genome informatics is the analysis of biological functions in terms of the network of interacting molecules and genes with the aim of understanding how a biological system is organized from its individual building blocks. As well as containing a comprehensive survey of the database and computational technologies relevant to molecular sequence analysis, Post-genome Informatics will provide the reader with a conceptual framework and practical methods for the representation and computation of molecular networks.
Review
"[This book] is well timed to help biologists identify the grand challenges facing them in the post-genome era. . . . [N]ot just a guide to the post-genome perplexed, and certainly not a book for biologists looking for a 'how-to' guide to bioinformatics. Indeed, the author deliberately steers well away from detailed discussion ... Rather, the book takes a more theoretical approach, and in doing so, lays a clear and concise groundwork in both molecular genetics and informatics that underpin bioinformatics. It will be an asset to bioinformatics researchers, students, and educators alike. . . . [A] 'must-have' for all with a keen interest in bioinformatics. It's a compact book, with many excellent illustrations and elegant perspectives on the opportunities and challenges in the times ahead. . . . [A] valuable contribution to the bioinformatics literature and the discussions of molecular and higher level networks, and it will be stimulating to all who traverse its pages."--Nature Biotechnology
"Minoru (chemistry, Kyoto U.) addresses the gap between the massive data becoming available at the molecular level now that many whole genomes are being mapped, and information at the level of integrated biological systems. He explains the process of analyzing biological functions in terms of the network of interacting molecules and genes in order to understand how a biological system is organized from its individual blocks. He both surveys the database and computational technologies relevant to molecular sequence analysis, and provides a conceptual framework and practical methods for representing and computing molecular networks. The treatment is based on his lecture series for undergraduate students."--SciTech Book News
"Valuable is provided in understanding the nature of relational databases." -- Doody's
"The focus of this book is bringing to the reader an understanding of how genomic information is transformed from a linear to three-dimensional scale, to accomplish the basic principles of life. This book provides a good introduction to the field for scientists entering this exciting area of research." -- Carla Nishimura, Biotech Software and Internet Report, Vol 1, No 5, 2000
Synopsis
There exists a huge gap between information at the molecular level and information at the level of integrated biological systems, and it is this gap that is addressed in Post-genome Informatics. Post-genome informatics is the analysis of biological functions in terms of the network of interacting molecules and genes with the aim of understanding how a biological system is organized from its individual building blocks. As well as containing a comprehensive survey of the database and computational technologies relevant to molecular sequence analysis, Post-genome Informatics will provide the reader with a conceptual framework and practical methods for the representation and computation of molecular networks.
About the Author
Professor Kanehisa is a Principal Investigator in the Genome Informatics Project in Japan. He speaks widely on the subject and is on the editorial board of the journal Bioinformatics.
Table of Contents
1. Blueprint of life
2. Molecular biology databases
2.1. Historical background
2.2. Informatics technologies
2.3. New generation of molecular biology databases
3. Sequence analysis of nucleic acids and proteins
3.1. Similarity search
3.2. Prediction of structures and functions
4. Network analysis of molecular interactions
4.1. Network representation and computation
4.2. Principles of biochemical networks
Appendix. Methods in computational molecular biology--Bibliography
1. Sequence analysis I. Sequence alignment
2. Sequence analysis II. Sequence features
3. Structure analysis
4. Network analysis